Pizza dough press apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure is directed to press systems and methods for forming pliable material, such as dough, into a specifically-designed shape for allowing hand-stretching of the pliable material after pressed by the press system. In some examples, the press system may be manually operated, automatically or hydraulically assisted, and/or mechanically assisted. The press assembly of the press systems disclosed herein may include a press mold having a contoured or multifaceted shape designed to form a finished dough, such as a pizza crust, having a thicker central portion, a relatively thinned intermediate portion, and a thicker edge portion at a perimeter of the pizza crust.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/993,592, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,687,537, entitled“PIZZA DOUGH PRESS APPARATUS AND METHOD” filed May 31, 2018, which is anon-provisional of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.62/513,243 titled “PIZZA DOUGH PRESS APPARATUS AND METHOD”, filed 31 May2017, both of which are incorporated herein as if set out in full.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of shaping apliable material. More specifically, certain examples of the presentinvention relate to the shaping of pizza dough into a crust beforebaking.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to manufacturing or preparing pizza. Pizzadough typically consists of flour, sugar, yeast, salt, water, and/oroil, among various other ingredients that may be used to obtain desiredcharacteristics. Pizza dough may be formed into a desired shape to forma pizza crust before being topped with other ingredients and baked.Notably, the term “crust” as used herein generally refers to thedough-based, breaded portion of a pizza and may refer to the baked orraw bottom of a pizza, rim of a pizza, or both.

There are various styles of pizzas, pizza doughs, and pizza crusts, eachhaving characteristics which may be associated with certain geographicregions, cultures, traditions, etc. For example, common pizza stylesinclude but are not limited to: Neapolitan, deep-dish, Chicago, NewYork, New England Greek, grilled, stuffed, cast iron, flatbread,cracker, St. Louis, Romana, Sicilian, Detroit, etc. Each style of pizzamay be associated with one or more methods or procedures for preparing acrust consistent with the style. Doughs may be prepared with variousmoisture contents which yields a desired crust depending on the type ofpizza being prepared. There are many known methods for shaping pizzadough prior to cooking. For example, pizza dough may be hand-tossed(i.e., manually spun in the air), hand-formed (e.g., shaped manuallywith a user's hands or tools), hand-stretched, rolled (e.g., with arolling pin), sheeted (e.g., processed through a sheeter), pressed(e.g., manually or automatically smashed by a press, either unrestrictedlaterally or in a mold), etc.

Hand-prepared and hand-stretched crust may yield the a very desirablebaked crust consistency. This is due to the reduced degassing of thedough when hand-stretching as opposed to pressing and rolling with amachine, kitchen tools, and the like. After dough is prepared, it is“proofed” which allows the yeast in the dough to ferment. This may alsobe referred to as allowing the dough to “rise.” The yeast in the doughproduces carbon dioxide bubbles within the dough which can lead to alighter, fluffier crust when baked. However, when a machine or roller isused to flatten the dough into a pizza or crust form, the pressure ofthe rolling pin or press surface can lead to degassing of these airbubbles (which are primarily carbon dioxide), and the final product willbe denser, crumby, with a uniform texture which may take on a morecracker-like consistency or texture. When hand-preparing andhand-stretching dough, however, the bubbles resulting from thefermentation and proofing process are retained in the dough, which whenbaked will lead to a fluffier, lighter, and softer dough.

However, hand-stretching dough is a skill which is learned and honedover time, and hand-stretching dough from a dough ball to a formed pizzacrust often leads to sections in the dough which are very thin and proneto tearing. This can require starting the forming process over with anew dough ball, leading to additional time and costs. When preparingmany pizza crusts for a restaurant and/or mass-production, it isimportant to be able to form many pizza crusts in a short period of timeto reduce wait time, improve consistency, and maximize customersatisfaction.

A problem with many, if not all, of the above-mentioned methods andprocedures is that they tend to yield a central portion of a baseportion of a pizza crust which is undesirably thin, thereby leading tobreaking and tearing of the dough during preparation. Therefore, a needexists for a method and apparatus for forming pizza dough into a shapethat has a central portion which resists unwanted breaking and tearing,and ensures consistent pizza crust formation ready for hand-stretchingeven by novice users.

SUMMARY

In an aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a press systemconfigured for pressing a pliable material, comprising a press assemblycomprising a press mold comprising a central portion having a firstdimension, an edge portion having a second dimension, and anintermediate portion having a third dimension and comprising a firstangled surface and a second angled surface, wherein the first angledsurface is inclined at a first angle with respect to a horizontal planeand the second angled surface is inclined at a second angle with respectto the horizontal plane; an expansion cavity defined by the centralportion configured to receive at least a portion of the pliable materialwhen the press system impinges the pliable material; wherein theintermediate portion is provided radially between the central portionand the edge portion, and the third dimension is greater than the firstand second dimensions.

In another aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a method ofmolding a dough using a press assembly, comprising: placing the dough ina pan; placing the press assembly into the pan, wherein the dough isdisposed between a bottom interior surface of the pan and the pressassembly, the press assembly comprising a press mold including a firstangled surface inclined at a first angle, a second angled surfaceinclined at a second angle, wherein the first and second angled surfacesare provided at an intermediate portion between a central portion and anedge portion of the press mold; applying a force to the press assemblyin the direction of the bottom interior surface, wherein the applicationof force causes the first angled surface to force a portion of the doughtoward an expansion cavity provided at the central portion of the pressmold; retracting the press assembly from the pan, wherein the dough hasa first thickness at a central portion that is greater than a secondthickness of an adjacent portion circumscribing the central portionafter retracting the press assembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a press system according to a firstexample.

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of a portion of the press assemblyof FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of the press assembly of FIGS. 1and 2.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a pizza crust formed by the press systemof FIGS. 1-3.

FIGS. 5A-5C are cross-sectional side views of the press system of FIGS.1-3.

FIG. 5D is a partial enlarged view of a portion of the press system ofFIGS. 1-3.

FIGS. 5E and 5F illustrated additional examples of the press system ofFIGS. 1-3.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a press system according to a secondexample.

FIG. 7 is a top view of the press system of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8A is a side view of the press system of FIGS. 6-7.

FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional side view of the press system of FIGS.6-8A.

FIG. 9A is a side view of a press system according to a third example.

FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional side view of the press system of FIG. 9A.

FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional side view of a press systemaccording to a fourth example.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is not intended to limit the invention to theforms disclosed herein. Consequently, variations and modificationscommensurate with the following teachings, skill and knowledge of therelevant art, are within the scope of the present invention. Theembodiments and examples described herein are further intended toexplain modes of practicing the invention and to enable personas skilledin the art to make and utilize the embodiments or examples describedherein, with or without various modifications required by the particularapplication(s) or use(s) of the present disclosure.

The present disclosure is directed to an apparatus and associated methodfor forming a ball of dough into a shape that allows further shaping andstretching of said dough by hand. The press and mold according toexamples of the present disclosure are designed to form a dough which,when later hand-stretched, reduces or eliminates tearing or breaking ina central or an intermediate portion by providing a sufficient thicknessin the central region of the dough to prevent it from becoming overlythinned when hand-stretched. Notably, although discussed in the contextof pizza dough, the present invention is applicable to other types ofdough as well as other pliable materials (e.g., putty, elastomers, piecrust, non-edible training or play dough, hamburger, tortilla, and thelike). Regardless of the pliable material, aspects of the presentinvention are useful to form a reserve of material which may allow forgreater lateral stretching without breakage. Additionally, althoughdiscussed in relation to a generally round or circular shape, theprinciples herein are similarly applicable to other shapes such assquares, rectangles, and the like.

Prior art methods of forming pizza dough often require multiple steps.Hand-tossing and hand-stretching require a significant amount of skillwhich may be associated with relatively high labor costs, productiontime, reduced consistency of the final product, and the like.Additionally, it often takes a substantial period of time for a user tobe trained and proficient at the skill of hand-stretching pizza toreduce the incidence of tearing the dough. Tearing the dough, oftencaused by overly thinning a non-edge central or intermediate portion ofthe dough, may require starting with a new dough ball or the expenditureof additional time to start the forming process over. Therefore, analternative method may involve feeding a ball of dough through a sheeteror press to form a generally circular shape (which has a diametersmaller than the desired finished product) which may then more easily befinished by hand or with other tools. However, sheeters and presses, ifnot used correctly and designed with hand-stretching in mind, may createa substantially uniform thickness throughout the crust, which when laterhand-stretched may cause tearing or undesirable thinning of the dough.

In some instances in which a press is configured to form a raised edgecrust, the thickness is substantially uniform and thin throughout thebase (or central portion) of the crust with an increased thicknessprovided only around the perimeter edge of the crust. In either case,prior art methods create a central portion of the base of the crust witha thickness equal to an outer portion of the base of the crust. It isnoted that the term “base of the crust” as used in the presentdisclosure refers to the substantially flat portion within (or centralto) a raised outer edge (if such a raised outer edge is present orprovided). Due to the substantially uniform thinness in the centralregion, subsequent stretching of the dough by hand tends to causethinning of the crust in the central portion of the base, causingunwanted tearing and breakage or yielding a crust that, when baked, isinsufficient to maintain a proper shape of the pizza or slice of pizza.This undesirable thinning of the crust is especially common to users whoare new to the art of hand-stretching pizza, such as new trainees at arestaurant. Even after experience, this skill can take a long period oftime to master. Additionally, the consistency of the dough, which may befactor of the moisture content of the dough, may present significantresistance to being formed. If a user is not sufficiently strong orcannot apply a sufficient amount of force or weight to the dough,forming of the dough can be incomplete or take a tedious amount of time.This may slow down operation of a restaurant kitchen or produceinconsistent resulting dough shapes, which in turn leads to apotentially inferior product when baked, an undesired dough texture,baked consistency, and/or may result in unsatisfied customers.

In one example of the present disclosure, a press may include a meansfor retaining a greater thickness at a central portion of the base ofthe crust. Such means may comprise an expansion cavity or recess definedin a press mold face configured allow additional dough material toaccumulate in the expansion cavity as the press is applied to the dough.In this regard, one or more beveled edges (e.g., surfaces angled at oneor more angles θ relative to a horizontal or “flat” plane), providedadjacent to the expansion cavity, may comprise a surface disposed at anangle such that the one or more beveled edges forces at least a portionof the dough inward into the expansion cavity. A press mold face orsurface, which makes contact with the pliable material such as a dough,may be substantially planar or may be sloped. In a preferred example,the press mold face includes a surface angled at a first angle and asecond surface on the press mold face angled at a second angle, as willbe discussed below with respect to the figures. However, thisintermediate portion may alternatively be formed as a flat surface, aswill be discussed. These angles may be selected to ensure a sufficientamount of dough is forced into the central expansion cavity to allowhand-stretching after pressing, while also forming a raised perimeteredge. The first and second angles θ₁, θ₂ may also be selected oroptimized for specific dough moisture contents, which corresponds todifferent elasticities and stiffness of the dough and which thereforemay make it more difficult to form in the press (e.g., a lower moisturecontent may resist forming or pressing more than a higher moisturecontent, and therefore the angles θ₁, θ₂ may be smaller angles for doughwith a higher moisture content than the angles θ₁, θ₂ for angledsurfaces used with lower moisture-content dough). Another factor whichmay make a dough more or less pliable is the length of time the doughhas been proofed. Typically, a dough which has been proofed for a longerperiod of time will require less force to mold the dough, and thereforethe one or more angled surfaces may include angles which are shallower,or smaller, than angled surfaces for use with a stiffer, less pliabledough. In other examples, the press surface as discussed herein mayrefer to a surface including flat surface, an angular surface, a facetedsurface, a curved surface, or a combination of these surface types.

An expansion cavity may have a cavity ceiling (e.g., disposed on abottom surface of a plate member positioned above the base member) whichlimits the volume of dough which may enter the expansion cavity. In someexamples the expansion cavity have an open top without a “ceiling.”Optionally, a lid member may be disposed upon a plate member on a sideof the plate member opposite the base member. Such a lid member may besized for receipt within a pan in manner to aid in the formation of araised edge crust (in which case, a maximum diameter or width of the lidmember may define a reference width) and/or a lid member may be sizedlarger than a pan to form a lid which prevents dough from overflowingfrom the pan while under compression (in which case a maximum diameteror width of an outer edge of a plate member may define a “referencewidth”).

Various widths and diameters for each component or surface may be usedto obtain desired results. For example, a base surface may have an outerwidth (adjacent a beveled edge or angled surface if present) that isapproximately 60-99% of the reference width described above and an innerwidth defining the opening that is approximately 50-95% of the referencewidth. A surface of the first beveled edge (connecting an inner edge ofa base surface to a cavity wall) may have an inner width that isapproximately 30-80% of the reference width. A surface of a beveled edgeconnecting a base surface to an outer edge of a plate member may have anouter width that is approximately 80-99% of the reference width.

Notwithstanding the above description of surfaces and beveled edgeshaving defined relationships, an embodiment of the present invention mayhave a surface configured to shape pizza dough which is essentially asingle contoured surface. For example, a base surface, a beveled edge, acavity wall, and a cavity ceiling may all be defined by a seeminglysingular surface. In one instance, a conical cavity may be providedwhich serves the functions of one or more of the described features. Inanother instance, the contact surface of a press may comprise a curvedconcave area defining the expansion cavity surrounded by a curved convexarea comprising the base surface, the beveled or angled edge(s), orboth. Additionally, each described surface or beveled edge discussedherein may be optional as the press may serve to shape a crust with agreater central thickness without certain described features beingrequired.

The various members and components of a press system discussed hereinmay be formed from any appropriate material including but not limited tovarious types of woods, plastics, rubbers, metals, Teflon, and the like.Each component may be fabricated from the same material or each may havea unique composition in comparison to the other components. Similarly,the various members and components described herein may each befabricated individually and then secured together or may be of one-piececonstruction. The press mold surface, which is in direct contact withthe pliable material or dough, and in some examples the entirety of thepress mold, should be selected to be food-safe and be resistant tocollecting and culturing bacteria on the surface or within the pressmold material. Additionally, at least the press mold surface should benon-stick to prevent the pliable material, such as a dough, fromsticking to the press mold.

In an example of the present disclosure, a press or portion of thepress, such as the press mold, may be sized for receipt within a pancontaining a pliable material such as a dough. A pan may be any commonlyavailable pan, such as a cake pan, pie tin, or a pizza pan, or may bespecifically configured for use with a press of the present disclosure.The pan may have a flat bottom or in some examples may have a contouredinterior bottom surface which contributes to the lateral movement ofdough as the press is forced into the pan to squeeze the dough, as willbe described below. That is, the contoured forming surface of the pressmay be provided within the pan, while a relatively flat plate may bepressed down upon the dough or other pliable material to form the finalproduct. An outer wall of a pan may serve to limit the lateral movementof an outer portion of the crust and may also contribute to theformation of a raised edge crust (e.g., such as those common todeep-dish or New York style pizza). As a downward force is applied by apress on the dough in a pan, a portion of the dough may flow outwardtoward the wall of the pan. As additional force is applied, a portion ofthe dough may contact the wall of the pan and rise into a recessedportion of the press, thereby forming a raised edge crust. A firstangled surface on the press mold contact surface (e.g., the bottomsurface facing the dough) may be angled at a first angle θ₁ such thatdough is urged at least partially inward to accumulate a thicker centralportion in the expansion cavity formed by the press mold. A secondangled surface, for example a surface angled at an angle θ₂, may bedisposed near an outer edge of the press to assist in forcing a portionof the dough outward toward the wall of the pan to form a raisedperimeter edge of the formed dough. However, in some alternativeexamples of the present disclosure, the angles θ₁, θ₂ may be zerodegrees and form a substantially flat intermediate portion. In stillother examples, the angles θ₁, θ₂ may be selected to form a “concave”intermediate portion where a portion of dough may be collected. It isnoted that although a pan may assist in forming the dough, the pressaccording to the present disclosure may be used independently on a flatsurface such as a table a countertop without the use of a pan.

In another example of the present disclosure, a press system may haveone or more handles. Such a handle may be disposed on a side of thepress opposite the side configured to shape the dough. In some examplesthe handle is provided on an upper surface of the press mold, oppositethe contoured contact surface on the bottom of the press mold. A handlemay be any shape or size and may comprise a rod, a loop, a U-shape, etc.A handle may be secured to or removably attachable to the press to allowa user to apply a force to the press which causes the spreading or flowof dough. Such handles may also be configured to allow a user to easilyretract a press in a direction away from such dough, for instance, toremove the press from a pan. It is noted that although discussed asbeing separate and attachable to the press mold, the present disclosureis not limited to this and the press system may include a handleintegrally formed with the press mold.

Thicknesses of various components of a press may be varied. For example,an expansion cavity may have a thickness (e.g., height) of 0.1″, 0.25″,0.5″, 0.75″, 1″, or more. The expansion cavity radius may vary as well,based on the type of dough or pliable material being formed. In someexamples the expansion cavity may be dome-shaped, while in otherexamples the radius of the expansion cavity may be between 1″ and 4″.The overall thickness of a press may be 0.5″, 1″, 1.5″, 2″, but thepresent disclosure is not limited to this. The desired style of pizzacrust or other formed pliable material may help in determining thesizing of various components. In some examples, the pan may be a cakepan or pie tin which has a diameter of 11″ or 7″, for example, but mayhave substantially any diameter. As will be discussed below, the pressmold may be selected to fit the desired pan shape, and the diameter ofthe press mold may be slightly less than the diameter of the selectedcake pan to ensure that the press mold can be inserted and removedeasily.

In another example of the present disclosure, a method of shaping (e.g.,molding, forming, sculpting, etc.) dough into a desired contoured shapeis provided. The method may include running a ball of dough through asheeter or a press which is configured to create a uniform thicknessthroughout the dough. In some examples, the dough ball may only be runthrough the sheeter and pressed approximately 70% of its original size.This may ensure that gasses such as carbon dioxide from the fermentationand proofing process are not undesirably removed from the dough, whilepreparing the dough for pressing within a pan or on a flat surface bythe press mold. Such a sheeter or press may be configured to yield apanel of dough with a width that is less than a desired width of afinished pizza crust. In other words, in a preferred example this stepmay not yield a finished pizza crust but rather may begin the process ofshaping the crust leaving additional steps for completion.

Additionally, or alternatively, the dough may be hand-stretched to yieldan intermediately-sized panel of dough (i.e., a width and thickness in arange between those of a rounded ball of dough and a finished crust)which will need additional shaping. In an aspect of the presentdisclosure, the panel of dough may then be placed into a pan or onto asupport surface (e.g., table, counter-top, etc.). A press mold may beprovided on an upper surface the panel of dough and a force applied in adirection of the dough to cause the press to squeeze and/or moveportions of the dough into a desired shape determined at least in partby the shape of the press mold surface. In this regard, angled surfacesand/or cavities may be provided on a bottom surface portion of the pressto aid in urging the dough laterally and/or vertically into a desiredshape having at least two different thicknesses. In a specific example,as discussed below, the finished dough may have a thicker central orinner portion, a thinner intermediate portion between the central andedge portions, and a thicker or raised edge or perimeter portion. Byleaving a thicker central portion of the dough after pressing, the doughmay then be hand-stretched to the desired size for baking with a reducedor eliminated risk of tearing the dough in the process. By allowinghand-stretching after forming with the press system, the carbon dioxideand air bubbles or pockets in the dough resulting from the proofingprocess of the dough may be retained which may yield a fluffier, softer,and less dense baked crust with a more pleasing texture and flavor. Forexample, it may be preferred not to press the dough completely to adesired final diameter. This is because at least a minimum degree of airand/or carbon dioxide content is desirable in the dough to retaincertain properties affecting baking, flavor, texture, etc.

As discussed above, the method may comprise hand-stretching orhand-tossing the panel of dough after removal of the press from thedough. Notably, it may be undesirable to use a press system whichsqueezes the dough too thin. In this regard, it may be preferred topress the dough to a certain extent (e.g., to 50-90% of the desiredfinal unbaked pizza crust diameter) and then to finish stretching thedough by hand, as discussed above. The raised central portion may besufficiently thick to allow for thinning, without tearing, as the doughis further stretched laterally. That is, the raised central portion mayprovide a reserve of excess dough which may be useful to accommodateadditional stretching of the base portion of the dough. In previoussystems and methods without thicker central portions, as pizza dough isstretched, the center of the panel of dough tends to thin which may leadto undesirable tearing in that region of the crust. By providing acentral portion with an increased thickness prior to stretching, thestretching may cause the central portion too thin to a thickness whichis effectively uniform with respect to an adjacent region of the crust,thereby resistant to tearing. The greater the thickness of the centralportion prior to stretching, the more dough available to accommodategreater lateral stretching.

Numerous additional features and advantages of the present inventionwill become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration ofthe embodiment descriptions provided hereinbelow.

Turning now to a discussion of the drawings and various figures,examples of the present disclosure will now be discussed. With referenceto FIG. 1, a press system 100 will be discussed. A press system 100 mayinclude a press assembly 110 having a press mold 112, a handle 114,handle mounts 115, reinforcement flanges 116, an attachment plate 117.The attachment plate 117 may join or secure the handle mounts 115 to thepress mold 112 by means of coupling devices 120, such as screws, nails,rivets, and the like. In some examples the handle 114 and handle mounts115 may be selectively removable from the press mold 112. This may allowfor a user to clean the press mold 112 periodically using kitchen-gradecleaning products, a dishwasher, or other cleaning and sanitizationmethods. In some examples, the press mold 112 may be made of Teflon,hardened plastic or other resin, wood, and the like. In a preferredexample, the press mold 112 may be made of a Teflon formulation which iscorrosion resistant and dishwasher safe, to enable safe cleaning andsanitation. Teflon may also provide improved strength and rigidity whilekeeping the weight of the press mold 112 relatively low. Teflonmaterials may also be selected to be inherently resistant to capture andculturing bacteria on their surface or in the bulk of the material,while advantageously being non-stick. By reducing the amount of dough orpliable material which sticks to the press mold 112, the finishedproduct may be more consistently formed with fewer defects, while alsoreducing the need to clean the press mold 112 surface.

The assembled press assembly may include a handle 114 provided throughone or more apertures 118 in the handle mounts 115. A set screw 122 maysecure the handle 114 in the apertures 118 and may help prevent thehandle 114 from rotating within the apertures 118 of the handle mounts115. The handle 114 may in some examples be shaped in a substantiallytubular or cylindrical form. In some examples the handle 114 may be ahollow tubular pipe sized to provide a gripping portion on either sideof the handle mounts 115, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-5. In otherexamples, the handle 114 may be ergonomically formed to include holdingportions for a user to comfortably grip the handle 114 while applying aforce to press a dough.

The press system 100 may further include a pan 170 such as a cake pan,pie tin, or pizza pan. The pan 170 may be provided, as will be discussedbelow, to hold an unformed dough ball therein and to assist with formingthe pressed dough crust, such as a pizza crust or a pie crust. The pan170 may have a diameter which is selected to form a pressed and formeddough sheet suitable for subsequent hand-stretching. In some examples,the pan 170 may have a diameter of 7″, 11″, or other standard size, andmay aid in forming a pressed dough crust which can be hand-stretched toa crust size of 10″, 16″, and the like. It is noted that the presentdisclosure is not limited in this manner, and substantially any size panand finished crust diameter may be used. The press assembly 110 may besized with a diameter according to the desired pan diameter, but inpreferred examples the press mold 112 may have a diameter slightly lessthan the diameter of the pan 170. By providing a gap, such as gap 130 inFIG. 5, the press assembly 110 may be provided in the interiorcompartment of the pan 170, while not becoming wedged in the pan 170 orotherwise difficult to remove. Furthermore, by providing a small gap130, which may in some examples be 0.25″, 0.125″, 0.1″, 0.0625″, orless, the press mold 112 may be properly centered within the pan 170 andensure proper forming of the dough. The gap 130 may be sized to aid inreducing the amount of dough which is urged past an upper surface of thepress mold 112, which would potentially lead to a malformed edge of thedough crust.

FIGS. 2-4 illustrate various other views of the press system 100 ofFIG. 1. FIG. 2 illustrates a bottom perspective view of the pressassembly 110 and a formed pizza crust 150 formed of unbaked dough.Although the present example is discussed with reference to forming apizza crust 150, the present disclosure is not limited to this and thepress assembly 110 may be used to press, form, and prepare several typesof pliable materials, as discussed above. In this example, a pizza crust150 is formed by applying pressure on the press assembly 110 such thatthe press mold 112 impinges on an unformed dough ball 146 (FIG. 5A) toform the pizza crust 150.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the press mold 112 includes severaldistinct sections provided for ensuring the final form of the pizzacrust 150 includes the desired shape. That is, as discussed above, itmay be desirable to have a pizza crust 150 formed with a thick centerportion and a raised edge or outer portion, and with an intermediatesection at least relatively thin compared with the central and edgeportions. Accordingly, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the press mold112 may include a recessed central portion 112A, a thicker raisedportion 112B, and a recessed portion 112C. The raised portion 112B, asdiscussed above, may include one or more angled surfaces 112B₁ and 112B₂which are inclined with respect to a horizonal axis 125 by angles θ₁,θ₂, respectively (see also FIGS. 5D and 5F). The recessed centralportion 112A may form the expansion cavity discussed above and allow forthe dough to accumulate in the cavity formed by the central portion 112Aof the press mold 112.

With reference to FIG. 3, a cross-sectional view of the press assembly110 is shown as sectioned along line A-A in FIG. 1. The pizza crust 150is also illustrated in cross-sectional form to demonstrate some of thefeatures of the present disclosure. In particular, the crust 150 may beformed by the press mold 112 of the press assembly 110 to include threedistinct regions I, II, and III. In region I, the central portion 150Aof the pizza crust 150 is thicker and includes an accumulated amount ofdough therein compared with regions II and III. This thicker centralportion 150A may be provided to allow for hand-stretching of the crust150 after the pizza crust 150 has been pressed into shape by the pressmold 112 of the press assembly 110. An intermediate portion 150B of thepizza crust 150, corresponding to region II, may be relatively thincompared with the thicker central portion 150A. The edge portion 150C ofthe pizza crust 150, corresponding to region III, may again be thickerto form a raised edge of the pizza crust 150.

It is noted that the angled surface 112B₁ and 112B₂ of the press mold112 are selected and designed to form the pizza crust 150 with thesedistinct regions I-III. That is, an angled surface 112B₁, which isinclined or declined at an angle θ₁ with respect to the horizontal axis125, may be provided radially inward with respect to the angled surface112B₂, which is inclined at an angle θ₂ with respect to horizontal axis125 and provided radially outward (i.e., toward an edge portion 112C).In some examples, θ₁ may be a smaller angle than the angle θ₂. In otherexamples the angles θ₁, θ₂ may be substantially the same or equal (andmay in some examples may be substantially zero degrees or “negative”degrees, depending on the frame of reference). In still other examples,angle θ₁ may be larger than angle θ₂. However, in a preferred example,θ₁ is smaller than the angle θ₂ such than angled surface 112B₁ is formedwith a shallower angle than angled surface 112B₂, as illustrated inFIGS. 2, 3, and 5D. In some examples, angles for θ₁, θ₂ may be selectedto be between 3° and 45°, or in some examples between 5° and 20°, basedon the type of pliable material or elasticity of the dough (e.g., basedon the moisture content or amount of proofing of the dough). In otherexamples such as shown in FIGS. 5E and 5F, angles for θ₁, θ₂ may beselected to be between 0° and 45°, or in some examples between 0° and20°, based on the type of pliable material or elasticity of the dough(e.g., based on the moisture content or amount of proofing of thedough). A perimeter recessed portion 112C of the press mold 112 may beprovided to allow for dough which has been pressed radially outward fromthe center of the press mold 112 to accumulate and form a raised edge150C of the pizza crust 150, which corresponds to region III of thepizza crust 150.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a formed pizza crust 150 after the pressassembly 110 has been applied to it. As discussed above, the pizza crust150 may have a thicker central portion 150A, a thinner intermediateportion 150B, and a thicker edge portion 150C which are formed by thepress mold 112 as described above. The thicker central portion 150A isdesigned to allow for hand stretching of the pizza crust 150 to itsdesired final size, while minimizing or eliminating undesirable thinningor tearing of the pizza crust 150.

Th reference to FIGS. 5A-5C, the pressing operation of a dough ball 146to form a pizza crust 150 will be discussed. A proofed dough ball 146may be provided in a pan 170 and preferably centered therein. Asdiscussed above, the pan 170 maybe a cake pan, a pie tin, and the like.The press assembly 110 including the press mold 112 may then be appliedto the dough ball 146. As pressure is applied by a user to the handle114, the press mold 112 forces the dough ball 146 to begin taking on theshape of the press mold 112 surface 112A-112C. In particular, a centralrecess 112A begin acting on the dough ball 146 until it impinges on theangled surfaces 112B₁, 112B₂. Angled surface 112B₁ may urge a portion ofthe dough ball 146 radially inward toward a center of the press mold 112such that the dough ball 146 begins to fill the recess (e.g., theexpansion cavity) formed by the central portion 112A. Although discussedabove as beginning with a dough ball 146 as illustrated in FIG. 5A, thepresent disclosure is not limited to this. In some examples, a doughball 146 may be partially flattened into a sheet having a greaterthickness than the final pizza crust 150 thickness. In some examples, adough sheet such as the dough 146 in FIG. 5B may be the starting shapeof the dough when a press is applied.

As the press assembly 110 and press mold 112 are forced furtherdownward, as illustrated in FIG. 5B, the expansion cavity may be filledwith dough and the dough ball 146 may be further deformed and forcedradially outward from a central portion. At this point, the angledsurface 112B₂ of the press mold 112 may begin to act upon the dough ball146 to continue pushing the dough 146 radially outward from the centerof the press mold 112. It is noted that the angled surface 112B₁ may bedesigned to aid in urging the dough ball 146 to fill the recess andexpansion cavity formed by the central portion 112A, while the angledsurface 112B₂ may be designed to urge a portion of the dough ball 146 tospread laterally or radially outward toward an edge of the pan 170 or anedge of the press mold 112. It is noted that in some examples, duringthe process of applying force to the press assembly 110, a user may“rock” the press assembly 110 back and forth to help in forming andurging the dough ball 146 to take the shape of the press mold 112.Finally, as seen in FIG. 5C, the dough ball 146 has been forced todeform and fill the recessed edge portion formed by the recessed portion112C of the press mold 112.

As illustrated in FIG. 5C, the dough ball 146 has been full pressed tofill the region between the press mold 112 and the pan 170 forms thepizza crust 150 as discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 4. Asdiscussed above, the gap 130 may allow for the press mold 112 to easilyslide in the opening of the pan 170 without becoming wedged, while alsoproviding a centering guide for the press mold 112 within the pan 170.FIG. 5D is an enlarged isolated view of a portion of the press mold 112showing the angled surfaces 112B₁, 112B₂ and the angles θ₁, θ₂ formed bythe angled surfaces with respect to a horizontal axis 125.

FIGS. 5E and 5F illustrate additional examples of the press mold 112. InFIG. 5E, surfaces 112B₁ and 112B₂ are provided with angles θ₁, θ₂approximately of 0°, resulting in a substantially flat surface of thepress mold 112. In FIG. 5F, surfaces 112B₁ and 112B₂ are provided withnegative angles θ₁, θ₂, resulting in a substantially concaveintermediate portion surface of the press mold 112 face. In both FIGS.5E and 5F, angles for θ₁, θ₂ may be selected to be between 0° and 45°,or in some examples between 5° and 20°, based on the type of pliablematerial or elasticity of the dough (e.g., based on the moisture contentor amount of proofing of the dough). It is important to note that inboth FIGS. 5E and 5F, the press mold surface allows the central recess112A and the perimeter recessed portion 112C to be formed, which allowsthe dough to be hand-stretched after being pressed. The recessed centralportion 112A may form the expansion cavity discussed above and allow forthe dough to accumulate in the cavity formed by the central portion 112Aof the press mold 112.

Th reference now to FIGS. 6-8, another example of a press system will bediscussed. Pres system 600 may be operated in substantially the same wayas press system 100 discussed above. The press system 600 includes apress assembly 610 having a handle 614 provided in an aperture 618 of ahandle mount 615. The handle mount 615 may be secured to a backing plate602 by attachment mechanisms 616, such as screws, nails, rivets, and thelike. The backing plate 602 may be made of a light weight but rigidmaterial such as metal, reinforced plastic, and the like. In one examplethe backing plate 602 is made of light-weight aluminum.

The backing plate 602 may be secured to a standoff 604 by attachmentmechanisms 603, such as screws, nails, rivets, and the like. Thestandoff 604 may be made of a light weight, inexpensive material such awood or plastic. In some examples the standoff 604 is made of wood. On aside opposite the backing plate 602, a press mold 606 may be secured tothe standoff 604 by attachment mechanisms 607, which may be screws,nails, rivets, and the like. As discussed above with respect to pressmold 112, in some examples the press mold 606 may be made oflight-weight Teflon, reinforced plastic or other resin, wood, and thelike. In a preferred example, the press mold 606 may be made of a Teflonformulation which is corrosion resistant and dishwasher safe, to enablesafe cleaning and sanitation. Teflon may also provide improved strengthand rigidity while keeping the weight of the press mold 606 low. Teflonmaterials may also be selected to be inherently resistant to capture andculturing bacteria on their surface or in the bulk of the material,while advantageously being non-stick.

As illustrated in FIG. 8A, the press mold 606 maybe selectively removedfrom the press assembly 610. By allowing the press mold 606 to beremoved from the press assembly 610, the press mold 606 may be madethinner, smaller, and/or lighter while also allowing for easy cleaningand sanitization of the dough contact surface. The thinner press mold606 may also reduce the cost of the overall press assembly 610 as thepress mold 606 may be made of a more rigid and more expensivelight-weight material, while other components of the press assembly 610may be made of less-expensive materials such as wood. In some examples,the standoff 604 may be selected to provide additional weight to thepress assembly 610, which may help a user apply an appropriate amount offorce to a dough ball (not shown) to help form the pizza crust 150. Insome examples, the separable or removable press mold 606 may beinterchanged with press molds 606 having a slightly different shape ordesign, such as angled surfaces 606B₁, 606B₂ with different angles θ₁,θ₂, respectively. The different molds 606 may be provided to accommodatedifferent dough elasticities and consistencies, such as doughs havingdifferent moisture contents or proofing times.

As illustrated in FIG. 8B, and similar to the press mold 112 discussedabove, the press assembly 610 may be designed to fit within a pan 650. Adough ball (not shown) may be provided in the pan 650 and the pressassembly 610 may be applied thereto to begin forming the dough ball intoa pizza crust 150. Similar to the press mold 112, the press mold 606 mayinclude a recessed central portion 606A which forms an expansion cavityfor receiving a bulk of dough therein. The press mold 606 includesangled surfaces 606B₁ and 606B₂ which are inclined from a horizontalaxis 625 by angles θ₁, θ₂ respectively. As discussed above with respectto the press mold 112 of FIGS. 1-5, angled surfaces 606B₁ and 606B₂ mayaid in urging a dough ball to fill an expansion cavity formed by therecessed central portion 606A as well as fill in the edge region formedby recessed portion 606C. The recessed portion 606C of the press mold606 may aid in forming the edge portion 150C of the pizza crust 150.Similar to FIGS. 5E and 5F, however, the angled surface 606B₁ and 606B₂may include angles θ₁, θ₂ selected to form a substantially flatintermediate portion, or alternatively a concave intermediate portion.

Th reference to FIGS. 9A-9B, another example of a press assemblyaccording to the present disclosure will be discussed. Press system 900may include an automatic press 920. In some examples the automatic press920 may include a hydraulic press, a screw-press, or other poweredpress. The automatic press 920 may include a piston 922 coupled to orintegral with an upper press mold 912. In this example, the press moldmay include an upper press mold 912 and a lower press mold 914. Theupper press mold 912 may include a recessed or concave central portion912A corresponding to a convex central portion 914A of the lower pressmold 914. In some examples the convex central portion 914A of the lowerpress mold 914 may include a centering notch 915 in a center of thecentral portion 914A. The centering notch 915 may aid in ensuring that adough ball (not shown) is centered within the upper and lower pressmolds 912, 914. Together, the concave central portion 912A of the uppermold 912 and the convex central portion 914A of the lower mold 914 maytogether form the thicker central portion of the pizza crust 950. Insome examples the pizza crust 950 may be shaped, when formed by thepress system 900, substantially similar to the pizza crust 150 discussedabove.

The upper press mold 912 may also include a thicker convex portion 912Bwhich corresponds to a thinner concave portion 914B of the lower pressmold 914. Together the convex portion 912B and concave portion 914B mayprovide a thinner intermediate portion 950B of the pizza crust 950. Theupper press mold 912 may also include a recessed portion 912Ccorresponding to a protruding portion 914C of the lower press mold 914.Together, the recessed portion 912C and the protruding portion 914C maytogether form the raised edge portion 950C of the pizza crust 950. Insome examples the upper mold 912 and lower mold 914 may be formed withsurfaces having sharper angles or more exaggerated curvature as comparedwith the press molds 112, 606 discussed above. This may aid in quicklyand effectively forming the pizza crust 950.

It is noted that although illustrated with a press mold having an upperpress mold 912 and a lower press mold 914, the automatic press system900 is not limited to this. Press molds 112, 606 of the press assemblies110, 610, respectively, may be used with automatic press 920 and piston922. By providing an automatic press 920, the process of forming pizzacrusts 150, 950 may be quicker and utilize less manual labor than thepress systems 100, 600. In some examples, the automatic press 920 mayenable mass production of pizza crusts 150, 950 which are intended forhand-stretching at a later time by an end user, consumer, and the like.In some examples, the automatic press system 900 may prepare amass-produced pizza crust 150 which allows an end user to hand-stretchthe crust 150 when preparing a home-made pizza. This may facilitate amore enjoyable and authentic pizza making experience for the consumer,while providing a baked pizza crust with a lighter, fluffier consistencyand raised edge similar to what you would get at a restaurant withprofessional pizza preparers.

With reference now to FIG. 10, another example of a press system 1000will be discussed. The press system 1000 may be a mechanically-assistedsystem which is human powered but provides mechanical advantage to allowa larger force to be applied to a dough ball (not shown) by the pressassembly 110 to form a pizza crust 150. In particular, the press system1000 may include a first and second lever arms 9, 16 for operation by auser. The press system 1000 may include a stand 1, a base 2, and asupport 18. First lever arm 9 may pivot around a pin 10 coupled to thestand 1 and act on a piston 7 to provide a linear downward force onpiston 7. A backing plate 8 may be coupled to the bottom of piston 7,and a press assembly 110 may be secured to the backing plate 8.

A pan 13 may be provided which receives a dough ball which the pressassembly 110 forms into a pizza crust 150. The dough ball, and resultingpizza crust 150, may be supported by a lower plate 4. In some examples,a second lever arm 16 may be pivotally coupled to the support 18 by apin 17 and may be coupled to the lower plate 4. A lower piston 3 may becoupled to the lower plate 4 and be moved linearly upward by the actionof the second lever arm 16.

Accordingly, a pizza crust 150 may be formed by operation of the presssystem 1000 by manually actuating the first lever arm 9 and/or thesecond lever arm 16. In particular, the press assembly 110 may becoupled to a backing plate 8. A dough ball (not shown) may be placed onthe lower plate 4 within the pan 13 and centered under the pressassembly 110. A user may operate one or both of the first lever arm 9and the second lever arm 16. The first and second lever arms 9, 16include long arms which pivot around pins 10 and 17, respectively. Thisallows for a larger force to be transmitted to the backing plate 8and/or the lower plate 4 than if a user were to directly press on thepress assembly 110. Accordingly, the press system 1000 may be useful forusers who are not sufficiently strong and/or cannot apply theappropriate amount of force to the press assembly 110 to properly formthe pizza crust 150.

It is noted that although discussed above as being used in combinationwith a press assembly 110, the press system 1000 is not limited to this.Press assembly 610 or the upper and lower press molds 912, 914 may alsobe used with the press system 1000 to enable manually-activated,mechanically-assisted forming of a pizza crust 150, 950. Furthermore,the press systems 100, 600, 900, 1000 may include interchangeable pressmolds to allow for pressing of different dough consistencies andelasticities, such as doughs which have various moisture contents orwhich have been proofed for various lengths of time. Additionally,although not illustrated in the drawings, the press molds may includeone or more convex dimples protruding from the press surface (e.g., thebottom surface of the press mold) and extending into the dough. Thesedimples may be provided radially, azimuthally, and/or perimetrically onthe press mold surface. In some examples, a plurality of dimples may beprovided, for example, around a perimeter of the press mold angledsurface (e.g., angled surface 112B₂, angled surface 112B₁, or both). Inother examples, the dimples may be provided on substantially the entirepress mold surface. Dimples may be of various sizes and shapes, and insome examples may be convex shaped, hemispheres, geodesically shaped,and the like. The dimples may simulate kneading with fingers and may aidin spreading the dough to the desired shape and size.

All directional references (e.g., proximal, distal, upper, lower,upward, downward, left, right, lateral, longitudinal, front, back, top,bottom, above, below, vertical, horizontal, radial, axial, clockwise,and counterclockwise) are only used for identification purposes to aidthe reader's understanding of the present disclosure, examples andembodiments, and do not create limitations, particularly as to theposition, orientation, or use of the invention. Connection references(e.g., attached, coupled, connected, and joined) are to be construedbroadly and may include intermediate members between a collection ofelements and relative movement between elements unless otherwiseindicated. As such, connection references do not necessarily infer thattwo elements are directly connected and in fixed relation to each other.The exemplary drawings are for purposes of illustration only and thedimensions, positions, order and relative sizes reflected in thedrawings attached hereto may vary.

The above specification, examples and data provide a completedescription of the structure and use of exemplary embodiments of theinvention as defined in the claims. Although various embodiments of theclaimed invention have been described above with a certain degree ofparticularity, or with reference to one or more individual embodiments,those skilled in the art could make numerous alterations to thedisclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of theclaimed invention. Other embodiments are therefore contemplated. It isintended that all matter contained in the above description and shown inthe accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative only ofparticular embodiments and not limiting. Changes in detail or structuremay be made without departing from the basic elements of the inventionas defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A press system configured for pressing a dough,comprising: a press assembly comprising a press mold comprising acentral portion having a first dimension, an edge portion having asecond dimension, and an intermediate portion having a third dimensionand comprising a first angled surface and a second angled surface,wherein the first angled surface is inclined at a first angle withrespect to a horizontal plane and the second angled surface is inclinedat a second angle with respect to the horizontal plane; an expansioncavity defined by the central portion configured to receive at least aportion of the dough when the press system impinges the dough; whereinthe intermediate portion is provided radially between the centralportion and the edge portion, and the third dimension is greater thanthe first and second dimensions; and wherein the first angled surfaceand second angled surface are selected such that the intermediateportion is substantially flat or concave.
 2. A press system according toclaim 1, wherein the first angle is between 3 degrees and 45 degrees andthe second angle is between 3 degrees and 45 degrees.
 3. A press systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the first angled surface is providedproximate the central portion and the second angle surface is providedradially outward of the first angled surface.
 4. A press systemaccording to claim 3, wherein the first angled surface and the secondangled surface form a continuous press surface in the intermediateportion of the press mold.
 5. A press system according to claim 1,further comprising: a handle; one or more handle mounts coupled to thehandle and the press mold and configured to secure the handle to thepress mold.
 6. A press system according to claim 1, wherein the pressmold is selectively removable from the press assembly.
 7. A press systemaccording to claim 1, further comprising: a pan configured to receivethe dough and having a first lateral dimension; wherein the press moldincludes a second lateral dimension, the second lateral dimension beingsmaller than the first lateral dimension to form a gap between the panand the press mold when a press mold is provided in the pan.
 8. A presssystem according to claim 7, wherein the press mold is provided in thepan.
 9. A press system according to claim 1, further comprising a pistonand an automatic press.
 10. A press system according to claim 9, whereinthe automatic press is hydraulically or electrically actuated andconfigured impart a linear displacement on the piston.
 11. A presssystem according to claim 9, wherein the piston is coupled to the pressmold and is configured to impart linear displacement on the press mold.12. A press system according to claim 1, wherein the dough is pizzadough.
 13. A press system according to claim 12, wherein the presssystem is configured to form a pizza crust from the dough, the pizzacrust including a central portion having a first thickness, anintermediate portion having a second thickness, and an edge portionhaving a third thickness, wherein the first and third thicknesses aregreater than the second thickness.
 14. A press system according to claim13, wherein the central portion is configured to enable hand-stretchingof the pizza crust while reducing tearing.
 15. A press system accordingto claim 1, wherein the first and second angles are selected based on amoisture content and/or a proofing time of the dough.
 16. A method ofmolding a dough using a press assembly, comprising: placing the dough ina pan; placing the press assembly into the pan, wherein the dough isdisposed between a bottom interior surface of the pan and the pressassembly, the press assembly comprising a press mold including a firstangled surface inclined at a first angle, a second angled surfaceinclined at a second angle, wherein the first and second angled surfacesare provided at an intermediate portion between a central portion and anedge portion of the press mold; applying a force to the press assemblyin the direction of the bottom interior surface, wherein the applicationof force causes the first angled surface to force a portion of the doughtoward an expansion cavity provided at the central portion of the pressmold; retracting the press assembly from the pan, wherein the dough hasa first thickness at a central portion that is greater than a secondthickness of an adjacent portion circumscribing the central portionafter retracting the press assembly; wherein the first angled surfaceand second angled surface are selected such that the intermediateportion is substantially flat or concave.
 17. The method of claim 16,further comprising: pre-shaping the ball of dough using a flat press, asheeter, or hand-stretching to create a substantially uniform thicknessprior to placing the dough in the pan.
 18. The method of claim 16,further comprising: hand-stretching the dough after removing the doughfrom the pan to create a substantially uniform thickness across a baseof a pizza crust.
 19. The method of claim 16, wherein the press assemblyis manually operated.
 20. The method of claim 16, wherein the pressassembly is automatically operated.